SOUR NOTE

Real-Life Conductor Slams Cate Blanchett Movie Tár: ‘I’m Offended’

“To have an opportunity to portray a woman in that role and to make her an abuser—for me that was heartbreaking,” said Marin Alsop, a conductor who is name-dropped in ‘Tár.’

A real-life conductor is speaking out against her profession’s portrayal in the recently released film Tár, starring Cate Blanchett as a cruel, but genius conductor who uses her musical talent to groom younger female musicians in her orchestras. It’s a fictional story, which bears repeating since Tár inadvertently tricked a portion of its viewers into believing they were watching a biopic. The movie is still in theaters after being released last October to significant awards buzz and near universal acclaim. One person who was decidedly unimpressed by the film, however, was real conductor Marin Alsop, who told The Sunday Times of London over the weekend that watching the movie was a “heartbreaking” experience. “I was offended: I was offended as a woman, I was offended as a conductor, I was offended as a lesbian,” said Alsop, who is briefly name-dropped by Blanchett’s character in the movie. She went on to call the film’s portrayal of a female conductor as an abuser “anti-woman,” saying, “​​I think all women and all feminists should be bothered by that kind of depiction because it’s not really about women conductors, is it? It’s about women as leaders in our society.”